German blood supply secure despite E.coli-Red Cross

BERLIN (Reuters) - The deadly outbreak of E.coli in Germany has triggered a sharp rise in demand for blood plasma but stockpiles are still far from being depleted, the Red Cross said on Friday, in response to media reports of a shortage.

E.coli bacteria are usually harmless but virulent forms like that affecting northern Germany can lead to hemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS). Eighteen people have died in Germany, plus one in Sweden, from such complications.

Friedrich-Ernst Dueppe, spokesman for the German Red Cross Blood Donation Service, responded to media reports that supplies are running low, saying there was "no reason to panic".

"Our national inventory of blood (plasma) stocks amounts to about 100,000 bags ... that can be used immediately," he said.

Dueppe said demand had soared, citing North Rhine-Westphalia state where it has tripled to 2,000 units of plasma every day.

Every day across Germany the Red Cross receives about 15,000 blood donations of one half-liter -- equivalent to a little less than one-tenth the amount in a normal body. But not all of this gets legal approval for medical use.

Simply restocking blood banks by asking new donors to give blood is not a short-term solution as German health laws mean any plasma donated today can be used no earlier than October.

PLASMA

Only after a new donor returns for a second blood test four months later can the Red Cross rule out any infection with HIV or hepatitis and approve the use of the stored plasma.

"That's why we are planning to use emails, text messages and phone calls to get the number of people that donated four months ago to return for the second blood test to 80-85 percent from a normal level of 70 percent," said Dueppe.

Plasma is a yellowish liquid left over after centrifuges separate blood into its roughly equal constituent parts, namely red blood cells and plasma with a trace amount of platelets. HUS patients require about 13-17 bags of plasma a day for five to seven days to flush out the Shiga toxins generated by the E. coli that build up in the circulatory system.

Unlike red blood cells that have a shelf-life of about a month, plasma can be stored for up to two years as long as it is stored at a constant cool temperature.